BOSTON - Timberwolves boss Flip Saunders is stretching belief and trying to put a good face on a pretty obvious play by his superstar player to force a trade soon.

Love has another year left on his contract before he can opt out. And with reports recently saying Love has told Saunders he won't be signing a contract extension, Love paid a visit to Boston over the weekend and just happened to run into players for the Boston Celtics, heading for the Celtics' arena almost immediately upon starting his "vacation."

"Last I knew Kevin was under contract to us, and I expect him to be playing for us next year," Saunders said on Sunday. "I don't really dictate where guys go on vacation and what they do. They can go wherever they want to go. It doesn't matter to me."

Well, of course, it does because Saunders wasn't born yesterday and he's been around the NBA long enough to know what Love is up to.

Meanwhile, David Ortiz, the former Twins slugger now Red Sox superstar, dialed up the heat on Twitter.

Later, Love was on display at a Fenway Park game, sitting with his agent. A lot of people go on "vacations" with their agents, right?

Given plenty of opportunities, Love has not knocked down any of the reports that he wants out of Minnesota.

And in Boston, the Boston Globe reports, fans swooned at the thought of him playing in the city.

"I just want to win," he was quoted as saying. Often.

Saunders tweaked the fans who may inherit the formerly adored Minnesota star.

"They're the same fans who thought they had Tim Duncan," he said, referring to the year San Antonio leapfrogged over Boston in the NBA draft. "They still think they got Tim Duncan in the draft. I'm not really sure, but the last I looked he was playing for San Antonio, Old Man Riverwalk."